This blog is for those that are victims of official, police, attorney, prosecutorial, and judicial misconduct. This forum is also for the furthering of rights of non-custodial parents and their children. We will lobby legislators, propose laws, and inform the public. Feel free to post your story, comment, or email your video in.

Arthur L. Spada is head of the DPS, Connecticut State Police, maybe the most powerful person in Connecticut possibly having more clout than Governor Rowland himself.

What happens when you piss off those that think they are GODS?

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I believe Arthur L. Spada, allegedly a former judge, got word to Judge Jonathan Kaplan to sentence me to the maximum possible, a year in prison, for having �overreacted� defending myself against an attempted robber when I was pummeled from behind as my live was threatened if I did not give up my wallet.

I had allegedly got Spada�s attention by writing in newspapers claiming Connecticut State Police were not doing their jobs involving drugs, downtown crime, and had bias about protection and service for downtown residents, especially small business owners and property investors. As throughout history the rich well connected do not apply to this trend.

After seeing 2 frauds that had been living their entire lives as criminal parasites, selling drugs, family heirlooms and prescription drugs stolen from the unsuspecting elderly, involved with prostitution, getting youngsters hooked on drugs and profiting on crime driving a Volvo and BMW after having lived off of me for free refusing to pay the small claims award I won against them when I finally evicted them.

James C. Hogancamp and Vicky Tarmaro were allegedly living high off the hog from a personal injury settlement, I decided to write President Bush a letter, not expecting that he read it. I tagged it with issues, so it was passed through the SBA and HUD. Lana Thompson and Eric Wilkins have a history of moving in under false pretenses, wrecking apartments, and costing taxpayers and property investors possibly 100�s of thousands of dollars as she, also has a long list of her victims.

Ken and Robin Pelc openly sold powdered cocaine, crack, heroine, and marijuana out of their apartment while not paying rent, causing good tenants grief, and causing me thousands and thousands dollars in lost rent and damages. Police officers and the Rockville prosecutor also refused to arrest and prosecute the Pelcs, telling me that Officer Prochaska�s statement to me, �I (police) do not serve landlords and neither do the courts."

I wrote the letter to Bush 9-15-01, as I was not having any luck with police doing anything about the teens drinking, fighting, wrecking my property, and selling drugs all hours upsetting my paying tenants making them move out. I wrote how the bias in the judicial system and at the hands of law enforcement hurt the quality of life for all downtown residents, promoted drugs, crime, made downtowns criminal breeding grounds, contributed to the delinquency of minors and hurt those that invest in America, downtown business owners and property investors.

I wrote 2 letters that mirrored what I reported in Bush letter. I had suggested that �Civilian Oversight� of police with quality control questionnaires going out to those needing police protection and service. Former Representative Mordasky�s aid, Rose Marie, told me I should leave Connecticut as soon as possible and sell my properties as she told me that Connecticut State Police officers were ripping mad at my activities, about what I had written in newspapers and the laws I had proposed.

I believe Arthur L. Spada was probably aware of my activities as I had contacted Governor Rowland�s staff a number of times complaining about the crime in downtown Stafford Springs, Connecticut, the lack of protection and service and about the rude behavior of officers as I had been told to leave Connecticut �or else� for being a BIGMOUTH.

Carol Amino of Governor Rowland�s staff told me that all matters involving the Connecticut State Police reported to the Governor�s office are sent directly to Arthur L. Spada. Ms Amino asked me why did I not leave the state of Connecticut when police officers were angry with me and wanted me to leave the state in a conversation I had with her February 21, 2003. She said the Connecticut State Police thought I was a complete pain in the ass, already, and did I want to press my luck?

10-11-01, I was attacked on my property during the robbery attempt. My assailant had told tenants he was going to kill me when I got home that day and had left a voicemail telling me he was going to have to �hurt� me when I got home.

This was just weeks after I had written the most inflammatory letters to the editor, a letter to Bush, and had most persistent to legislators that something be done about the drug dealing and crime going on off my property almost 24 hours a day with police just driving by pulling over motorists to collect fines.

I believe Judge Jonathan Kaplan, the Rockville court prosecutor, Connecticut State Police Officers acted in collusion to railroad me to prison, out of my property, away from family/friends, and so financially ruin me to shut me up, ejecting me out of Connecticut.

It was known to all that attempted strong arm robbery and terrorizing a citizen are very serious criminal offenses. All this was overlooked, as Brian Caldwell, a long time, violent, drug using, alcoholic allegedly a police informant could commit crimes, pass out drunk in public, urinate in public and little or nothing was done over years and years.

Brian Caldwell had even screamed outside my, �I am going to cut your dick off, asshole, if I ever catch you outside!� while banging on my door after midnight disturbing my tenants and neighbors. I started carrying pepper spray as I wanted to keep that part of my anatomy. Brian Caldwell chased me into my office Oct 18, 2001, almost assaulting me a 2nd time.

The first time Oct 11, only I was arrested. He then just weeks later grabbed me from behind, obviously drunk, carrying a partial 18 pack of Budweiser into the Arizona Restaurant told me he was going to beat the shit out of me.

The cook came to my aid and threw Brian Caldwell and then Brian Caldwell swore and threatened me some more spitting on the glass of the door of the restaurant. Police waited about 2 hours so there would no longer be any witnesses and refused to arrest Brian Caldwell for terrorizing and stalking me after he initially hid in my bushes in the dark and jumped me from behind.

Judge Jonathan Kaplan told me I was guilty and going to prison before the trial. Judge Kaplan was very calm and collected all through the trial almost lulled to sleep. I could see how things were going and could see that Attorney Michael H. Agranoff was scolded every time he did the smallest amount of actually defending me and seemed to be more of an aid to the prosecution and seemed to be part of the railroad job going on.

A day BEFORE sentencing, I emailed Arthur L. Spada, and mailed a copy to the US. Department of Justice asking Arthur L. Spada to remove the �Community Policing, COPS� webpage from the Connecticut State Police website stating that I believed the policies were not being observed.

At the morning of sentencing, Judge Jonathan Kaplan seemed beside himself, was red with anger, and launched into many tirades and juvenile rants on how the prosecutor and courts can do what they want and rubbed it in that my assailant wasn�t even arrested sentencing me to one year in prison, 3 years probation, drug and alcohol classes, anger management, weekly psychological appointments, hefty fines, restitution to my attacker for his inconvenience of being pepper sprayed, and the strictest condition possible.

I have no history of drug use, nor alcohol abuse. I had no previous record and the 2 misdemeanor charges that I went to trial for were usually do not end up in prison time for individuals that have been in trouble before and even if they are on probation! For some reason I was blocked from getting the $100 program for 1st time offenders that would have allowed me to keep my flawless record in a short period of time without supervision and would have allowed me to keep my $500,000 in property, that I had finally started making a profit on after 4 years of my blood and sweat fixing up the 9 apartments, 2 of the houses I fixed up from a boarded up condition.

I was forced to go to trial at taxpayers expense, taxpayers foot the bill for my $73/day lodgings in prison. I was a consumer, had a retirement, and had believe in our American System to have invested in rental property and worked so hard for years investing all of what I had and long hours sometimes 7 days a week for years.

I had complained to police, the prosecutor, State�s Attorney, Colonel Barry of the Connecticut State Police, and others that my complaint finally be taken. It was a month after I was assaulted and nearly robbed and I was called the �victim� at that point Prosecutor John Panone should have dropped the charges against me and signed the arrest application for Brian Caldwell charging him with Assault, Threatening, and Breach of Peace. Panone refused to sign the arrest application so the attempted robber was not even arrested and I was railroaded to prison.

With all due respect, I am trying to convey my story without a tone of anger, which is impossible. I mean no disrespect to you in any of my words below. I admit a lack of tact and can be guilty of not having basic common sense, but I have worked hard my entire life, spoke my mind too often, and have tried to improve my life and for those around me as long as I have been old enough to be aware. I feel a grave injustice has occurred and wish to make you aware for possibly investigating my claims.

Should the Justice System, including law enforcement, in a State, act in anyway similar to a KKK infested state, as was the case in some States at the height of the Klan?

Judge Jonathan Kaplan was aware of me being stalked, harassed, threatened, including my life, while my assailant and I struggled as I defended myself, ending the assault in my dark driveway with pepper spray. In court late October 2002, my assailant admitted to the judge that he, Brian Caldwell, had threatened my life while demanding money. Isn�t that attempted robbery?Is it strange that police refused to arrest Caldwell, the prosecutor refused to sign Caldwell�s arrest application, and a judge is fine with a landlord being beaten, threatened, stalked before and after the incident, attempted robbery, but is not ok with a landlord �overreacting� defending him/herself?

I was called the victim, when I finally got the police to take my statement almost a month later. But, prosecutor John Panone, refused to sign the arrest application for my assailant, refused to drop the charges against me when I was declared the �victim�, and even refused to offer me the AR program that I was eligible for that would have ended up in my charges being erased.

I was sentenced to one year in prison and 3 years probation, had no former record, and was defending myself on my own property during a robbery attempt.

Troopers Ameral and Langlais, refused to take my statement/complaint the night I was attacked on my property, refused to interview witnesses, refused to look at my injuries, but paraded me around the 3 and 4 family houses in Stafford Springs, CT, in front of my neighbors and tenants, then leaving me propped up against a police car with the blue lights flashing for as many as 15 minutes to be displayed, lit, and prominent, for all passing traffic on the major Rt. of 190.

I had spent 4 years and 100�s of thousands and dollars, blood and sweat, fixing up those formerly boarded up properties.

The criminals and drug dealers still operate in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Yet, after police officers had bragged that �Big Mouth� was going to be run out of town, and taught a lesson, and had bragged I was going to prison before I even went to trial, justice has not been served.

Troopers Ameral and Langlais committed perjury in order that I be convicted. The State Police Internal Affairs refuses to deny nor to take my complaint against officers.

I feel my First Amendment rights have been violated, as I had complained about police and the local court system in newspapers, and had proposed legislation inflammatory to police and those in the judiciary BEFORE I was railroaded to prison.

Your attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated,

Steven G. EricksonPO Box 730Enfield, CT 06083

Connecticut State Police Internal Affairs refused to take nor deny these complaints:

I would like to formerly lodge a complaint against Trooper Ameral and Langlais as I believe they perjured themselves. Trooper Ameral seemed to turn red and choke over his words as he testified that when asked whether or not I had asked to make a statement and identified myself 10-11-01, after I was nearly robbed, beaten, and threatened on my own property at night after arriving home with Clayton Varno in my van.

Troopers Ameral and Langlais refused to listen to the taped threats on Sue xxxx answering machine against me, 10-11-01, before I was assaulted, to take Sue xxxx statement, Apt x, 5 Church St., Stafford Springs, CT 06076 (860-684-xxxx). The pair also refused to take my statement, refused to listen to the threats against me from my assailant made from 1:00 PM that day against me.

I had identified myself as a crime victim, my name, and that I wished to make a complained. Both officers denied me this. Trooper Ameral refused to take my statement during processing 10-12-01, and refused to listen to my voicemail with the threats against me.

My assailant was not arrested.

I asked Trooper Ameral more than once to make a complaint and wanted my statement taken. I called out while being held, and asked to make a complaint against my assailant for attempted robbery, assault, and the threatening of me, Sgt Sticca refused to take my statement, 10-12-01.

I called Troop C, when I arrived home in the morning after being held at Troop C, Trooper Decker listened to my entire account of the previous events from the late evening before. I believe he interviewed tenants that had heard my assailant threaten my life and were aware of my assailant going back and forth from the local bar all day looking for me, each time saying he was going to hurt or kill me when I got home.

Trooper Decker politely refused my 2 or more requests to take my written statement regarding the events from the previous day.

My assailant continued to harass and threaten me and attempted to beat me again, Oct 18, 2001. I called the State Police and I believe it was Trooper Colleen Anuszewski, who responded to the call maybe sometime between 8PM and 9PM.

She listened to the threats on my voicemail and listened to my account of the threats made against me and that I had just nearly escaped a 2nd beating by locking myself in my office in my other multi family house, 3 Church St, Stafford Springs, CT.

My assailant came after me 7 times in the time before my trial. 4 of the times I reported the incidents to police.

There was a follow up investigation that calls me the victim of the assault in which I have included. This tells me that if my statement was taken before I was arrested that I would never have been arrested, and at the time of the 2nd report, I think my charges should have been dropped.

Sgt Izzarelli took my statement and interviewed Sue xxxx, possibly Clayton Varno, and others. Sgt Izzarelli came calling on me and in the presence of Sue xxxx, seemed surprised that my assailant was not arrested and with my case in general, in my opinion.

I believe I had previous arguments with Trooper Langlais, over teens drinking, fighting, and selling drugs off my front lawn, and my displeasure over losing sleep and with the lack of anything being done. Langlais may have been one of the officers on a previous occasion to Oct 11, 2001, that were chanting,

"Oh Stevie, Oh Stevie, Oh Stevie!" outside my office door waking me up maybe 2AM or 3AM in the morning maybe an hour or so after I had called in and complained about intoxicated teenagers, banging into my house, and being so loud they were keeping me awake.

The contents of this letter are to my best belief and knowlege.

Thank you, Steven G. Erickson

(Another complaint faxed to Connecticut State Police Internal Affairs, not taken nor denied):

Steven G. Erickson April 16, 2003xxx xxxx (an address)

To Whom It May Concern at the Connecticut State Police Internal Affairs Unit(fax to 203-238-6447, tel 238-6390.

I believe Trooper Mulcahey acted improperly in telling me I would be arrested if I pursued any charges or allegations against anyone and did not leave the State of Connecticut.

I had brought a tape that Trooper Mulcahey took possession of threats against my daughter, her life, by a man who was sexually obsessed with my then 14 year old daughter and her friend Leann.

The tape also had threats against me, possibly 15 to 20 involving Peter Coukos. Please look into my allegations and take my complaint.

From statements made by Peter Coukos, before I was harassed by him telling me that the Stafford Resident Trooper and Stafford Police Officers did not like him (Peter Coukos) getting along with me and encouraged him to harass me and get rid of me.

After making this statement, Peter Coukos, told me that if I did not write him a check for $30,000 he would make up a false police report, report me to the building inspector for possible code violations, and would try and say I had committed fraud in some way or another fabricating a complaint.

I was also told I was evicted from the property by Peter Coukos, when I believe only a court order could bar me from 3 and 5 Church St.

Stafford Springs, CT, and that it was entirely illegal that I could be told I was barred from Stafford Springs and/or Connecticut, by someone saying they are speaking on behalf of the police.

I asked Trooper Mulcahey to take my complaint against Peter Coukos more than once and over time from as early as February 2002 into the Summer of 2002, regarding Peter Coukos threatening me, assaulting me, locking me of my apartment, blocking my vehicles in the driveway, breaking into my apartment, stealing my van seats and pick up truck cap, etc.

I believe it was an admission to these crimes by Peter Coukos when he signed an agreement not to harass me and to settle my Small Claims suit I brought against him regarding the stolen property.

I do not think it honorable and legal for a State Trooper to threaten me with arrest for being the victim of crimes, not the perpetrator, if I pursued matters taken in police reports, and if I did not leave Stafford Springs and/or Connecticut as soon as was possible.

I find it disturbing that Peter Coukos, claimed to me that the Resident State Trooper had told him, �Big Mouth is going to be shut up,� �Big Mouth is going to be run out of town,� and �Big Mouth is going to be taught a lesson,� before the harassment began, telling me it was encouraged and condoned possibly violating federal and Connecticut laws by police officers and Peter Coukos.

What is contained in this letter is to my best belief and knowledge.

Please look into my allegations and take my complaint.

Thank you, Steven G. Erickson P.S. the address of some of the violation is 3 and 5 Church St., Stafford Springs, CT 06076

(mailing address: PO Box 730, Enfield, CT 06083-0730)

Note: This post is my taking Del�s advice of providing names and more information. If you would like more information, please let me know in the comment section below.

P.S. the docket # and dates and police officers are all mentioned by name. Anyone who wants information from the court and/or police may do so with the Freedom of Information Act. You can then be provided with the 'Smoking Gun' the conflicting police reports and how embarassing my Kangaroo Trial is to the Entire US Legal System and honest police officers.

Police misconduct is rampant in Connecticut. Connecticut State Police Internal Affairs can and does refuse to take, nor deny, citizen complaints against Connecticut police officers.

On December 1, 2003, the overwhelmingly corrupt United States Supreme Court in a despicable and unconstitutional act and action of covering-up for the Las Vegas, Nevada District Courts, the Nevada Supreme Court, the Federal Court of Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals in San Francisco, DENIED my petition for a Writ Of Certiorari without comment. Even though every word, sentence, and paragraph in the petition is overwhelmingly supported with indisputable proof of all charges made, consisting of court records, trial transcripts, police reports, affidavits, documents, signed and sworn to statements, photographs, tape recordings, trial testimony, you name it, its there. And [all] in the records of the courts.

And in doing so, the high court aided and abetted the lower courts with their horrendously illegal and unconstitutional acts, actions, and inactions against Vipperman, which are their standard customs, practices, policies, and procedures. Which the high court has previously held they can be held liable for committing their illegal and unconstitutional acts and actions. But ignored its own holdings and rulings in this case:

And the high court further covered-up for the illegal and unconstitutional acts and actions of the State Of Nevada, and its overwhelmingly corrupt police, prosecutors, judges, courts, attorneys, politicians, entities, departments and agencies. And all those employed therein.

And further closed the doors on millions of Americans that have been framed by corrupt police and prosecutors, railroaded through the courts by corrupt judges, and sold down the drains by their despicable cowardly alleged defense attorneys. And kept in prisons by corrupt pardon and parole boards that act in collusion and conspiracy with their counter parts of the overwhelmingly corrupt legal system all over this country. Because they will not confess to crimes they did not commit, and thereby clean-up all the illegal, unconstitutional, and horrendous acts committed against them by those in authority. Which is in fact common place, and happens each and every day all over this country. And every court, judge, cop, prosecutor, attorney, and politician everywhere knows it happens, and keeps it all covered-up. As the days of the Star Chambers and Salem Witch Trials have never ceased in this country. And never will, unless and until, the news media brings all of these horrors to light and thereby opens the public's eyes and minds to the terrible truths that surround them each and every day.

And until that day comes, all of us all over this country are in grave danger. Because; the despicable corrupt judges and courts everywhere, have made all of us the chattels of the State wherein we happen to be at any given time, and the State and Federal government: And have further but not conclusive of, deprived all of the citizens of this country of their birth given Constitutional Rights, long-long ago.... And they are now simply a fallacy of your imagination: And ignored by all in positions of authority over you and yours.

And it won't be very long until the government, state and/or federal, will control [all] of the news media, radios, televisions, newspapers, magazines, and books. And the "Prison Business" will be the biggest and most profitable business in each and every state. And all those who fail to attempt to stop these horrendous acts and actions by the states, and supported by the federal government, will end up in a prison themselves, or be taxed the largest majority of their incomes to pay for those who keep the others in prisons.

There currently being over Six Million (6,000,000) people in prison or on probation or parole in this country, you can rest assured that your turn is just around the corner....

Supreme Court of the United StatesOffice of the ClerkWashington, DC 20543-0001

William K. Suter

Clerk of the Court (202) 479-3011

December 1, 2003

Mr. Franklin D. VippermanLas Vegas, NV 89121

Re: Franklin D. Vipperman v. Carols Concha, et al. No. 03-453

Dear Mr. Vipperman:

The Court today entered the following order in the above entitled case:The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.

Sincerely, William K. Suter, Court clerk

Please: Read, learn from, post, and forward this information to everyonepossible. This entire country needs to know the real [truth] about the horrorsof the overwhelmingly corrupt legal and judicial systems that surround themevery moment of every day. And is constantly and continually illegally and unconstitutionally denying and depriving you and yours of your liberties,freedoms, properties and possessions, and birth given Constitutional Rights.

Find Vipperman's books at; http://www.frankvip.com , The Deal Makers , The Cesspool , Hell Hole . And at www.1stbooks.com , Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com, e-Bay, and almost all book stores and computer book sites all over this country.Vipperman retains all rights to his books:

Posted by: at December 30, 2003 10:57 AM

click on "Jan 4, 2004 post" for pictures and more on my story. -Steven G. Erickson

Should a Connecticut citizen be harassed by police, arrested and thrown in prison on false charges as police committed perjury at trial, for threatening to sue police for civil rights violations, spouting off in newspapers, and proposing laws very unpopular with police, such as Civilian Oversight of Police?

Please check out the story after the picture of the house in this post.

And there are the police complaints that internal affairs refused to investigate, nor deny in this post.

If the Constitution applies in Connecticut, I beg you, sir, please investigate my claims as someone that works hard, honestly improving a community, gets kicked out and thrown in prison where those that are shooting up heroin, selling drugs, ripping people off, mugging downtown residents, and prostituting themselves seem to get a free pass in downtown Connecticut.

December 03, 2003

Is Our Legal System just a farce?

Click link below for more.

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An open letter to Attorney Michael H. Agranoff, asking him, why for a $17,000 plus fee he could not get his client off? 2 misdemeanor charges resulting from having been attacked on my property during a robbery attempt, and I was called the ‘victim’ in the follow up police report, should not have resulted in prison time for me.

attymikea@aol.com is Attorney Michael Agranoff's email.

…

Attorney Michael H. Agranoff,

Any attorney should have been able to get me on the AR (Accelerated Rehabilitation) program as I had never been in trouble before and the 2 misdemeanors I was charged with, Assault 3rd (which can be loud yelling) and Breach of Peace (has to be in public and I was attacked from behind in the dark on my own property when my assailant demanded money, threatening to kill me).

For that $100 fee for the program it would have allowed me to keep the 3 houses (2 were boarded up before I fixed them up), containing 9 apartments that I had spent four years without income fixing up.

If you even tried to defend me or act in anyway in my behalf I did not have to lose the sum total of my life’s work, my home, pets, contact with family, friends, my daughter, my credit, my business, and most of my possessions. I believe you acted in collusion with the Judge and Prosecutor in railroading me to prison and out of Connecticut for having written critical letters to the editor blasting police and the Connecticut court system.

I had spent 100’s of thousands of dollars fixing up those properties. They were to be my retirement, home, income, and cash and lodging for my daughter while she attended college.

I asked you to request a change of venue as I twice tried to have the Rockville prosecutor fired for refusing to prosecute cases for landlords and that I had tried to have Judge Jonathan Kaplan removed for bias(fired) against landlords and the self-employed for years, had written Kaplan a nasty letter disagreeing with a small claims decision, had personal, mutual animosity towards each other before the night I was assaulted during the robbery attempt.

There were witnesses to my life being threatened, a voicemail tape of my assailant threatening to attack me before he did, witnesses to the attempted robbery, witnesses to my assailant attacking and threatening other people before and after my incident, and police reports of other incidents, seven total, where my assailant continued to terrorize and stalk me all the way up to trial. All witnesses, you did not call, why?

Did you want to lose the case and see me go to prison?

I had called police ‘Armed Revenue Collectors’, Crime Watch Areas, low law enforcement areas, had been told by police officer to get out of Stafford Connecticut “or else” and had been feuding with Connecticut State Police over lack of protection and service, and for nothing being done when my property was broken into and damaged, when I was threatened and assaulted, when teens were drinking, fighting, and selling drugs off my front yard all hours, and for their complete lack of respect for property and business owners, landlords in particular.

Judge Jonathan Kaplan told me I was going to be found guilty and that I was going to prison before the trial even started. Police officers were allegedly bragging around Stafford that I was going to go to prison before there was even a trial.

Michael you are just a cog in the wheel of a complete BULLSHIT legal system.

Why knowing this, did you allow a worker for the police to become jury foreman? I asked you to strike that juror, not to have that man on the jury. Good move, ASSHOLE.

Why didn’t you call any witnesses to any of the incidents, including the night I was beaten and nearly robbed on my property?

Why did you not inform the jury that Troopers Ameral and Langlais committed perjury when they made conflicting statements, and when Ameral did such a bad job lying on the stand he turned red and choked over his words?

Why did you not defend me? Did the Judge and Prosecutor tell you not to? Did they bring up the alleged incident where you had an improper relationship with an underage female client?

A tenant, I was evicting, a childhood friend of my attacker was the only witness against me. Her police statement contradicted mine, the witness’ that arrived home with me that night, my assailant’s statement, and she would have had to have been able to see through a house in the dark to have been able to see what she claimed. Why did you bring up that the same woman tried to have her new landlord arrested when HE served her with eviction papers.

All you had to do to win the case was to go up to the front of the courtroom and point out on the diagram that her false statement was obviously not true. You did absolutely nothing regarding bringing up reasonable doubts.

The prosecutor asked my assailant how much he drank daily and the reply was 12 to 16, pints of beer a day. That he does drugs. Brian Caldwell admitted to threatening my life and demanding money to the prosecutor.

Why didn’t you use that information and ask why my assailant was never arrested and why was I standing trial at taxpayer’s expense when I was called the ‘victim’?

When you did such a poor job of defending me, I asked you to appeal the case, and you agreed. You did not appeal and as far as I know you did not file a reason with the court that you did not appeal.

There was no reason I had to go to prison. Another lawyer told me, I should have been out pending appeal for the $1500! Why did you block my chance of appeal and decide yourself that I was to go to jail, instead of being out on appeal? You complete, JACKASS.

Being sentenced to one year in prison, 3 years probation, with strict conditions is ridiculous based on the circumstances, the fact I was never in trouble before, and that I was going to prison as the ‘victim’ and the perpetrator isn’t even arrested.

Wouldn’t a lawyer that cared, question the severity of such a sentence and do something about it?

You came to see me in prison telling me at no charge as my ‘friend’ saying things could be much worse for me if you weren’t my lawyer.

Anyone could have done a better job than you. I could have done a better job as at least witnesses would have been called and I would have had a defense.

You only came to say I owed another $12,000 plus beyond the $5200 you initially charged me for your retainer. Then you send me a bill for $300 to come see me, FUCK YOU.

I am still getting sewer bills from the house you represented me at the sale. You fucked that up too. It was the other lawyer that brought up that you forgot to give me a $5000 check, IDIOT.

Quit sending me bills, because I will NEVER send you another dime. You have refused to give me, or even let me see my legal file. Does one even exist, or did you just make up the number of hours you are charging me for? Charging me hours for ‘getting to know me’ and for talking to witnesses you had no intention of calling to actually win the case.

I feel you did more for the prosecution than you did for me. I feel you put up no defense at all and can’t believe you have the audacity to even keep sending me bills when you did absolutely nothing to earn it.

Go ahead, sue me. I would love the opportunity to show you for what you really are.

In case anyone is interested I posted the police complaints, Connecticut State Police internal Affairs refused to take nor deny.

Police can do whatever they want whenever they want if complaints are not taken nor investigated.

From my own experiences, I believe police can commit perjury to get convictions if they deem a citizen a pain in the ass, to ruin the citizen's life, family relationships, and financial future railroading him or her to prison.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believe the judiciary and law enforcement system is corrupt from what I have seen and because I can't even get my complaints investigated. It tells me the US Constitution does not apply in the Constitution State, Connecticut. And, Connecticut is a police State.

To view the reports, click on 'police reports' and scroll towards the bottom of that post.-Steven G. Erickson

Is there additional documentation available from others with no personal or financial interest in the legal debacle surrounding your episode pertaining to the failures of the Stafford police and Tolland troopers to assist other merchants and property owners?

Is there any cohesive effort or undertaking on the part of others adversely affected by the police failures and discriminations to investigate or even sue the involved agencies?

What I'm getting at is whether there might be a larger strength available to attack the problem and, thus, bring you some justice as a by-product.

The reason for this is, because if there is evidence and enough people willing to tackle this because they, too, are victims, funds for a solid retainer might be available for hiring one of the attorneys you've spoken with.

Sadly, the judicial system is rigged by lawyers for lawyers, and they've got it pretty well sewn up for themselves being the only game in town, so to speak.

The hard truth is there really isn't any way for you to right these wrongs without legal help. If your allegations are true, any attorney who undertakes this will be swimming against the current and he or she is going to have to have a very strong case, along with an 'adventuresome' spirit in order to win.

I suspected from your original story that you may have been set up.

I know that hindsight is 20-20 and I don't mean this as a criticism of you in particular, but it would have been wise to gather strength in numbers at the outset rather than going into your campaign as a lone voice.

The old adage about safety in numbers is usually true when dealing with the government, particularly law enforcement.

It's fairly easy to shut one person up, drain their finances, and drive them out, but not so with a group of people with varying resources and areas of professional expertise.

Posted by: at December 8, 2003 08:00 AM

This post is still up, Attorney Michael H. Agranoff must be a no balls pussboy.

Posted by: at December 21, 2003 06:13 PM

I thought my lawyer did a horrible job for me hitting on my wife during our divorce but yours takes the cake!

Posted by: Dillon at January 25, 2004 05:12 PM

I was assualted by drug addicts and put in the hospital with knife slashes to my hands, lacerations to my left eye,and a detached retina in my right eye. I filed an assault report. Later I was threatened repeatedly by peolpe I did not know associated with the dope heads. I recieved only excuses from local law enforcement. Susequently, I armed myself at all times. One night while walking to visit a neighbor I was assaulted again. I fired two warning shots into the ground and stopped the assault. Four witnesses testified to the Police that they saw a male subject shoving me repeatedly to the ground and into the street prior to my warning shots. At the time I was still recovering from my injuries. None of my assailants have ever been arrested nor have faced any penalties whatsoever. However I was arrested, charged with a crime,placed on probation, charged 275.00 dollars for a "court appointed attorney", (you know the kind you get if you can't afford to hire one", 900.00 probation fees, abd 600.00 dollars in fines.This does not include hospital bills, and the loss of half the vision in my right eye. This occured in Denton,Texas but I am quite sure itcould be anywhere USA. Justice? In Amrica itis as much a farce as anywhere in the world.

My name is Dave Ponder.I am 49 years old and had enough with being a victim of both the crooks and THE POLICE

July 1997 Iwas arrested by an Arlington Texas polic officer Michael Elliott for a bogus DWI.Mr. Elliott lied in his arrest report, and alsoassaulted me during the DWI interview/sobriety test at the Arlington jail. The video tape wasconclusive to all who viewed the assault and as to my own full coordination and clear speechwhile performing the tests and answering questions. Prior to my arrest I had filed a complaint against this officer. The charge was "reduced" to "obstructing a highway" at court. I filed suit against Mr. Elliott in fedreral court and proved that he lied in his report. Using open records I showed that he wasnot dispatched to where he claimed, that there was no silent alarm at the place he claimed tohave been dispatched, that there had been no burglary report of a the business, that the truck I was driving did not match any description of one described in any prior burglary of a business, and with the tape that he assaulted me without justification. Never-the-less; Judge Means of the Northern Fderal District Court granted this officer summary judgement based on the very one and the same report I had PROVEN was false, completely ignoring the video tape.

If anyone in America deludes themselves intothinking we have any real rights or protectionunder law they should think again.

Mr. Ponder,when others find out what America is really about, it's too late. The Justice System is crap in America, like the rest of the world.

Posted by: Me too at April 7, 2004 12:21 PM

The link above has the attorney's phone number. If nothing has been done about this post, it must be true, or the guy is too wimpy to sue.

Posted by: at April 15, 2004 02:22 PM

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March 01, 2004

Was a Connecticut Trooper fired because he is a minority?

I heard white Stafford/Willington area Connecticut State Troopers refer to a Spanish Trooper as, ?Trooper Spic,? and ?Trooper GREAZY Dildo.? White Connecticut State Troopers were shot at during this incident and it was allegedly used to remove a Spanish Officer as it was said he did not pass on information.

Is the Connecticut State Police an exclusive White Male Club? Well maybe the head of the Connecticut State Police, Arthur L. Spada, had the highest ranking police woman removed from his office because she was a woman. (click link below for more on the discussion)

?

Propose laws, complain about police officers, and you can be targeted, arrested, and put in prison, and then kicked out of a state upon your release.

I complained to Connecticut Politicians about police use of the Matrix System, and then received a response from a high ranking police officer. The response:

?February 24, 2004

Steven G. Ericksonxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com

Dear Mr. Erickson:

I am in receipt of your email of February 13, 2004, where you express your concerns that the State Police are abusing the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange (MATRIX).

The MATRIX project was initiated in response to the increased need for timely information sharing and exchange of terrorism-related information among members of the law enforcement community. The project is governed by the MATRIX Executive Board, which is comprised of the head or designee of each participating state agency.

The MATRIX project has implemented factual data analysis with a program known as the Factual Analysis Criminal Threat Solution (FACTS) by using existing nonintelligence data sources to integrate disparate data from many types of storage systems to identify, develop, and analyze information related to terrorist activity and other crimes for investigative leads.

Information obtained from or through the FACTS application can only be used for legitimate law enforcement investigative purposes. A legitimate law enforcement investigative purpose means the request for data can be directly linked to a law enforcement agency?s active criminal investigation and operational case or is a response to a confirmed lead that requires follow-up to prevent a criminal act.

Security for information derived from the FACTS application is provided in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Furthermore, all personnel who receive, handle, or have access to criminal history records or other sensitive information are trained as to those requirements. A violation of these requirements is both a violation of department policy and the criminal laws of this state.

The Connecticut State Police understand the need to protect the privacy rights of its citizens. The FACTS program is only utilized for criminal investigation purposes. There are both internal and external safeguards with this system that would identify any abuses of the system.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention and allowing me the opportunity to respond.

Sincerely,Colonel Timothy F. Barry

Colonel Timothy F. BarryCOMMANDING OFFICER?

______________________

I had written to Col. Barry before and proposed Civilian Oversight of Police. I found out that when you propose a law regarding police or make a complaint about police officers to a politician the police are then notified. Before I was railroaded to prison I was warned by former Rep. Mordasky?s aid to leave Connecticut and sell my property ASAP as she warned me that the police liaison had told her that they (the Connecticut State Police) were going to retaliate for what I had written in the newspapers critical of them and for proposing Civilian Oversight of Police.

Should Police Departments, blindly get more and more tax dollars, keep hiring more and more officers, and get more and more power to abuse?

A defense lawyer filed a motion Monday claiming the governor was behind the state's decision to prosecute a Vernon woman on charges she caused the 1999 crash that killed prominent Hartford-area businessman Neil Esposito.

Esposito's father, Raymond Esposito, used his political influence to force the arrest of Heather Specyalski, the woman police say was driving, defense attorney Jeremiah Donovan says in the motion, filed on the eve of jury selection and seeking dismissal of the charges.

Howard A. Jacobs, a New Haven attorney representing the Esposito family, scoffed at the most explosive accusation to date in the bizarre case in Superior Court in Middletown, accusing Donovan of attempting to prejudice the jury pool.

"Rowland has nothing to do with this at all," Jacobs said. "There is absolutely no truth in that whatsoever."

Meanwhile, spokesmen for the state police and Gov. John G. Rowland say they have no knowledge of any connection between the governor's office and the case.

Jury selection begins today, and those seated for the trial may finally unravel the mystery that has dogged the case: Who was driving Esposito's leased Mercedes-Benz convertible when it crashed?

Donovan says it was Esposito. But if the jury convicts Specyalski of second-degree manslaughter, she could face up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.

State police investigators initially concluded that Esposito, 42, was driving when the car crashed on Route 9 near the junction of I-91 in Cromwell. But they later reversed their findings, saying Specyalski was behind the wheel. Investigators reopened the case at the insistence of Raymond Esposito, who sent a letter to then-Public Safety Commissioner Henry C. Lee about inconsistencies in the case.

Donovan's latest motion accuses the state of prosecuting Specyalski - a poor, single mother - at the behest of the governor. But it cites no specific conversation or correspondence.

"Neil Esposito frequently boasted of his family's influence with the governor," Donovan writes in the motion. Donovan cites contributions to Rowland's 1998 gubernatorial campaign, including $3,000 from Esposito and $2,500 from his father.

"The reopening of the case was the result of a request by the governor's office to reinvestigate the accident," Donovan writes in the motion.

He says a state police scientist "formerly believed to be independent and objective" investigated the crash for the Esposito family. "Such activities ... transform the state police into investigators for the wealthy'" and give the perception that "justice is something that can be bought by the rich," Donovan writes.

Esposito, a trash-hauler from Rocky Hill who many remembered as a philanthropist and contributor to high-level politicians, was a leading fund-raiser for juvenile diabetes. Legislators in 2000 voted in favor of a bill that proposed naming a span along I-91 in Wethersfield the Neil Esposito Memorial Bridge.

John Wiltse, a spokesman for Rowland, said Monday that the governor's office has "no knowledge of any involvement by this office" in the Esposito case. State police spokesman Trooper Roger Beaupre said he had "no knowledge of any communication between the governor's office and the state police" about the deadly crash.

Police arrested Specyalski in November 2000 and charged her with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, two weeks after she sued Esposito's estate, claiming his negligence caused the wreck that left her with debilitating injuries. A countersuit alleges that Specyalski, now 33, was intoxicated and driving out of control when the car veered off the highway at 100 mph.

The couple had attended a costume party at a Middletown restaurant prior to the crash. Tests showed both had been drinking.

Donovan claims his client could not have been driving because she was performing a sex act on Esposito at the time of the crash. The prosecutor, Assistant State's Attorney Maureen Platt, filed a motion last week asking a judge to bar testimony about the sex act without proof "which establishes a good-faith basis for such inquiry."

Platt declined to comment on the latest defense motion.

Jacobs, the Esposito family attorney, called state police's initial probe into the crash "a travesty" and claimed the lead state police investigator was eventually retrained in accident investigations.

Staff Writer Christopher Keating contributed to this report.

___________

Maybe a ?Godfather? style movie could be made about the Governor and his minions, the Connecticut State Police.

___________added March 22, 2004 7:10 AM EST

This was just emailed to the recipients noted below:

To Whom It May Concern:

Should someone that involves him/herself in the legislative process and speaks out in newspapers end up a target of police harassment, go to prison, lose family/friends/pets, his/her job, house, retirement, and be kicked out of Connecticut after spending time in prison?

I started writing letters to the editor in late ?98 and was printed in the Journal Inquirer and the Hartford Courant starting with the issue of preserving the Sheriff System in Connecticut. It seems that the hierarchy in the Connecticut State Police was opposed to this and I saw that members of the Sheriff?s departments were targeted for arrests, prosecution, and were being blasted in the press.

If the police can take down a whole organization such as the Sheriffs then who am I as a lone individual?

I proposed Civilian Oversight of Police and wrote about the bias of police and the courts in newspapers. I exposed that police did little to help downtown property and business owners but did aggressively go after any revenue they could collect and properties/businesses they could come up with an excuse to seize.

After proposing Civilian Oversight of Police to former Rep. Mordasky by fax and sending a 4 page list of individuals and their crimes, with the information not being followed up on by police, Rose Marie of Mordasky?s office suggested I leave Connecticut ASAP as the Connecticut State Police were going to retaliate for my political activism, speaking out in newspapers, and for proposing legislation that angered police. She told me that the Police Liaison told her that I was going to really get it.

I believe orders came from the top of the Connecticut State Police, Arthur L. Spada. Police should not have the ?Matrix System? if they are abusing citizen?s rights and circumventing the U.S. Constituion, before having the ability to covertly snoop and abuse citizens.

A citizen should be able to involve him/herself in the American Legislative Process without fear of arrest, prison, and losing everything financial and their families.

Please look into the links provided below and please help remedy the outrage if possible.

I hear through the grapevine that individual police officers and the Stafford Springs, CT, selectman are being questioned by concerned citizens about what is contained in posts such as this one.

Allegedly at least one home sale fell through directly from what was read on FreeSpeech.com written by me.

Mostly leaving common criminal parasites and drug dealers alone while taking as much cash, and even confiscating property/assets from working taxpayers, will cost Connecticut millions in the long run as they sell their souls living in the short term on blood money.

Mrlandlord.com gets hits in the millions and many that read the postings there are aware of the failings of the Connecticut authorities to foster and protect those investing in property and businesses downtown, again from what I have written.

I know local politicians, business people, and journalists have read my posts and others here on FreeSpeech.com

By not righting wrongs and seemingly operating a Socialist Police State in Connecticut, how many residents want out and how many will never move to Connecticut that would have if cases such as mine and similar to mine weren't exposed?

The power of the dollar will wake up those that don't get the point.

If Governor Rowland and head of the Connecticut State Police, Arthur L. Spada, have allegedly done far worse things, far more often than what Martha Stewart is alleged to have done once, which Martha possibly made an honest mistake, then the pair of possible 'real' criminals need to serve time in Federal Prison, if tried and convicted.

If either Governor Rowland or the 'Honorable' Arthur L. Spada end up in Federal Prison, I will have to wonder if either would be on the hot seat now if I was not so persistent in emailing politicians and journalists, making phone calls, speaking at meetings, writing in newspapers and online, etc.

Maybe I was insignificant or I could have been the main catalyst, I don't know.

Connecticut sounds worse than Mississipi and Alabama in the height of the Klan.

Posted by: South is gonna rise again at March 5, 2004 04:10 PM

I am having the same problem with the Middletown Ct. police Dept. concerning drug traffic in my bldg.One cop in particular told me to mind my own bussiness when he came up to my apt. on a complaint by me concerning people coming up our fire exit door(its in the alley way so the cops can't see them coming in or out of the bldg.)and yet this same policeman in the past has had the audacity to pull me & my fiancee' over for riding our bicycles on a public sidewalk.And everytime he sees us he harrasses us.(i.e.on 5/14/04 I Finally decided to make a complaint against this officers conduct.After leaving the mayors office,10 minutes later this same cop writes me and my fiancee' a ticket citing we ran through traffic on a red light.He was on the same street that the City Hall is on .Earlier I took his picture and told him I was going to report his conduct,he told me I couldn't take his picture without his permision.I told him he was full of SHIT!I took his picture because he refused to give me his name or badge number when I confronted him about his behavior 4wks. earlier at my apt.I showed the picture to another officer about 5blocks down the street and thats how I got his identity.So I guess after that he actually watched me go ride my bike to city hall and waited for my fiancee' and me to leave so he could write us a ticket in retaliation for reporting him.He had his partner write the tickets even though his voice was the one over the police Pa system telling us to pull over.I am not worried as I have 1Digital camera and 2 video cams and at this point am ready and willing to follow this asshole around until I catch him on film being the usual "bully with a badge" that everyone in this town knows he is.As they say witnesses can lie but cameras don't!!!!!:) Signed, Mark B. Sykes

I am having the same problem with the Middletown Ct. police Dept. concerning drug traffic in my bldg.One cop in particular told me to mind my own bussiness when he came up to my apt. on a complaint by me concerning people coming up our fire exit door(its in the alley way so the cops can't see them coming in or out of the bldg.)and yet this same policeman in the past has had the audacity to pull me & my fiancee' over for riding our bicycles on a public sidewalk.And everytime he sees us he harrasses us.(i.e.on 5/14/04 I Finally decided to make a complaint against this officers conduct.After leaving the mayors office,10 minutes later this same cop writes me and my fiancee' a ticket citing we ran through traffic on a red light.He was on the same street that the City Hall is on .Earlier I took his picture and told him I was going to report his conduct,he told me I couldn't take his picture without his permision.I told him he was full of SHIT!I took his picture because he refused to give me his name or badge number when I confronted him about his behavior 4wks. earlier at my apt.I showed the picture to another officer about 5blocks down the street and thats how I got his identity.So I guess after that he actually watched me go ride my bike to city hall and waited for my fiancee' and me to leave so he could write us a ticket in retaliation for reporting him.He had his partner write the tickets even though his voice was the one over the police Pa system telling us to pull over.I am not worried as I have 1Digital camera and 2 video cams and at this point am ready and willing to follow this asshole around until I catch him on film being the usual "bully with a badge" that everyone in this town knows he is.As they say witnesses can lie but cameras don't!!!!!:) Signed, Mark B. Sykes

February 21, 2004

Do you have to be White and Male to be inside the Connecticut Police Hierarchy?

This situation should not be overlooked. -Steven G. Erickson (Vikingas)

(Click link below for more)

?

Spada speaks candidly about conflict with worker

(Hartford-WTNH, Feb. 11, 2003 6:20 PM) _ He's been criticized for not tending to the needs of female police officers and today Public Safety Commissioner Arthur Spada may have added more fuel to the fire.

During his confirmation hearing Spada spoke candidly about his personality conflict with a former staff member.

Commissioner Arthur Spada is a former Superior Court Judge and is very highly regarded but after 2-and-a-half years as head of the state police, his handling of at least one matter concerning a high ranking woman placed him on the hot seat during his reconfirmation hearing.

"Whether they be male or woman, everybody has to hit the golf ball from the blue tees," says Commissioner Spada.

When Commissioner Spada made that remark he apparently was not anticipating that the first question from Committee Chair Donald Williams would be about the demotion of Lt. Col. Marjorie Kolpa, one of the highest ranking women ever in the state police.

"Is it your testimony today, that Marjorie Kolpa couldn't hit the golf ball from the blue tees?""It was not...uh. It, of course. I reached her in the mid summer of her career," says Spada.

When Spada regained his composure he admitted that he never got along with Kolpa, who took retirement in December and was today actually playing golf in Florida.

"Comes nose to nose to me and says, 'I don't work for you." Not a very nice thing to say. Number two; when I come on board, doesn't speak to me for seven months," says Spada.

But Spada's most condeming remark was concerning Kolpa's allegation that in addition to her demotion, she lost her plush office in Middletown and was placed in a less than plush one in Meriden.

"That story is a canard, it's a bold, audacious prevariation. It's a lie!" says Spada.Although none spoke, several female state troopers were watching as the head of Connecticut N.O.W. testified that it was the Kolpa story that caught the group's attention.

Beverly Brakeman says,"Our research indicated a serious lack of such efforts being made by DPS to ensure that women, both sworn and civilian, are given equal opportunitities and access to advancement and leadership positions."

Connecticut State Police Master Sgt. Susan Kumro says,"There's several females on this job that were afraid to come today because they're afraid they'd be the target of harrassment."

If the head of the Connecticut State Police and other high ranking officials can allegedly abuse women?s and minorities rights within their own ranks, how badly are they abusing the general public? Well maybe bad enough that citizens are leaving Connecticut in droves.-Steven G. Erickson (Vikingas)

The number one post that comes up when the words, ?Arthur L. Spada? is placed in a yahoo search engine (here)

___________________

Editorial found on ctnow.com:(added 1:25 PM EST, Feb. 21, 2004)

Arthur Spada, Another FOJFebruary 19, 2004

Arthur Spada should resign his position as the state's public safety commissioner. It has become clear that his performance in office has not met the high standards expected of his position.

Mr. Spada looks foolish in defending excessive overtime costs rung up by his personal, taxpayer-supported driver, state police Sgt. Richard Alexandre. The commissioner looks incompetent in claiming that he was unaware that Homeland Security Director Vincent DeRosa, who reports to him, has for years violated department policy by having an interest in a used-car dealership.

And Mr. Spada looked weak in admitting to lawmakers last week that he was muscled by Gov. John G. Rowland to hire Mr. DeRosa as homeland security czar in the first place, even though Mr. DeRosa had no special qualifications for the job. Mr. DeRosa had been the governor's pal and driver.

The commissioner showed no respect for taxpayer money when he basically allowed Mr. DeRosa, who will collect a $70,000-a-year pension, to set the terms of his departure. The homeland security chief will leave on his own on March 1. Mr. Spada should have bounced him the second he found out about Mr. DeRosa's violation of state police policy. Moreover, why should Mr. DeRosa get any pension credit for the years during which he broke his employer's code of conduct?

And it goes without saying that Mr. Spada should have been alert enough to discover Mr. DeRosa's used-car moonlighting far earlier than he did.

Mr. Spada has prided himself on being a hands-on commissioner. Instead, he has been just the opposite. Further, it's clear that he developed an unbecoming appetite for costly perks. Over the past two years, his driver, Mr. Alexandre, made $21,000 in overtime, driving Mr. Spada to personal appointments as well as work-related functions in the commissioner's official black Crown Victoria.

Mr. Alexandre is among many state troopers whose earnings top $100,000 per year when overtime pay for working extra shifts and controlling traffic at highway construction jobs is added to their regular salary. The state police overtime situation is out of control.

State law permits public safety commissioners to have a driver. Mr. Spada says he has routinely cleared his use of a driver with his legal staff. He must have an excessively lenient staff. How else could it justify some of the overtime?

Here are examples from overtime records and Mr. Spada's calendar obtained by The Courant through a Freedom of Information Act request:

Mr. Alexandre drove the commissioner from Hartford to Bloomfield at 6:30 a.m. to appear on WDRC's Brad Davis radio show 11 times in 2002 and nine times in 2003, and was compensated for two hours of overtime for each trip. Mr. Spada said he needed the security because a public official was assaulted near the radio station several years ago. Couldn't the commissioner have called the Brad Davis show from home?

Mr. Spada and his driver were both invited to a wedding of a child of a state trooper in December 2002. Mr. Alexandre drove, and logged 16 hours of overtime for the event.

In addition, Mr. Alexandre drove the commissioner to at least one gubernatorial debate, another wedding, a couple of celebrity roasts, a UConn football game and several private dinners, racking up Spada-generated overtime.

Predictably, Mr. Rowland's office has come to his defense. "Commissioner Spada is meticulous about how he uses his state vehicle and how he uses his assistant," says gubernatorial chief of staff Dean Pagani.

Meticulous? Far from it. The commissioner, a former Superior Court judge, should know better about the appearance of excess and the requirements of ethics codes. Instead, he seems to share that sense of entitlement that has gotten Mr. Rowland and his friends and political cronies in trouble and has cast a pall over state government.

Mr. Spada has damaged his credibility beyond repair and should have the good sense to bid his chauffeur and job farewell.

Local civil rights advocates are increasingly anxious over a new multistate law enforcement information-sharing initiative. And it's not just due to visions of Keanu Reeves battling world-dominating computers inspired by the program's name: the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange, or MATRIX, for short.

Connecticut Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Teresa Younger last week said her organization was alarmed by state Department of Public Safety Commissioner Arthur Spada's remarks in a December letter to state troopers promising: "The Matrix ... will disgorge a subject's every financial, economic, residence and spending profile. Aldous Huxley's 1983 has arrived," Spada declared in the one-paragraph description of the program in his "Commissioner's Perspective" on law enforcement efforts in 2003.

Huxley's "Brave New World," published in 1932, is a bitterly satiric depiction of a society controlled by technology, in which art and religion are abolished and human beings reproduce by artificial fertilization. It is often compared with George Orwell's "1984."

Younger said she is concerned about Spada's comments, especially because the CCLU is still waiting to hear from him regarding a state Freedom of Information request it filed in October, seeking specifics about the program -- such as what information can be obtained by law enforcement officials, who will have access to it, what will happen to the information once it is used and how much the program will eventually cost the state.

"Are they creating this massive database on residents in Connecticut just because?" Younger asked. "The fact that he [Spada] has announced [the MATRIX program] without giving us the information we requested concerns me," she added. "I am even more frustrated to hear that he [Spada] would use the kind of language [in his letter] that would only elicit more fear."

Reached last week, Spada said he was surprised by the reaction to the off-the-cuff remarks in his letter. (He conceded that he didn't even get his reference right. It should have been to Orwell's "1984," he said.)

Spada said the MATRIX program is up and running, but added that he was uncertain if his staff had utilized it yet. His office, Spada noted, will evaluate whether to keep using the program past March, when federal funding for it runs out.

Even he seems taken back by the government's snooping abilities. "I don't see where you can hide," Spada said of the program. "I am shocked when I am informed that [law enforcement] knows about your investments, [specifics] of your residence and how you are spending your money and on what. It is amazing the information that is out there."

Spada said he has had a brief telephone conversation with Younger, and the group's FOI request is being considered.

The MATRIX program is an effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to build or improve information-sharing programs to prevent terrorist attacks and improve police work -- a process that trades stronger vigilance for complaints of information overload. Eight states now participate in a federally-funded effort: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Utah.

Although most of the initiatives are still in the early stages, they mark a dramatic expansion of law enforcement technology and a shift away from the turf wars that have prevented such efforts in the past, say many law enforcement officials.

"Prior to 9-11, there was a void in intelligence outside the federal arena," said Maj. John Buturla, deputy director of Homeland Security for the Connecticut State Police.

A widespread demand for more law enforcement intelligence began immediately after the 9-11 attacks of 2001 and was the main focus of the 2002 meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. From that meeting, and the yearlong work of a committee of federal, state and local officials, emerged the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan, released in October, which outlines 28 technical and policy recommendations to create a national criminal intelligence network.

At the same time, various programs have sprouted to give non-federal investigators more access to sensitive, but unclassified, information about potential terrorists and criminals. Technological advances are also increasing police intelligence by allowing faster access to information in other regions of the country.

"We're in the beginning stages of an information-exchange future," said Gerard P. Lynch, executive director of the Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN), with headquarters in Newtown, Pa. The organization is one of six existing Regional Information Sharing Systems begun in 1974 to help states fight crime across borders.

In September 2002, those regional networks were linked to the FBI's Law Enforcement Online system, an electronic environment where users can exchange information via ListServes, chat rooms and e-mail.

The National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS), a nonprofit owned and governed by the states since 1966, also has a link to the FBI's network. But it is moving to a more web-friendly interface so that users can search for information with an Internet browser and wireless technologies. The system gives police access to motor vehicle and drivers data, INS databases and state criminal history records. More than 34 million messages are transacted each month.

In November, Wisconsin and Kentucky became the first two states to issue criminal histories to NLETS in the new format, and Florida, Maine and Texas have similar projects underway. Several other regional and statewide programs also have begun recently. For example, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York are piloting an information exchange that would give access to federal and state court records, as well as child and human services and motor vehicle agencies, among others.

But all of the information available to law enforcement is not always necessary, said Terry Treschuk, police chief in Rockville, Md., just outside the nation's capitol. The point of local and municipal police departments is primarily to take care of every day needs.

"It's an awful lot of information, and you just have to cull ... through it," Treschuk said.

Most police departments have fewer than 24 officers and cannot devote personnel to monitoring all of the information, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

"Any information overload is a product of our needs in a post-9-11 world," said Connecticut's Buturla. "The information can be cumbersome, but it's better than before 9-11."

To help smaller departments, the Pennsylvania State Police has opened an around-the-clock information gathering and analysis center to filter and disseminate relevant intelligence.

Despite the flurry of new initiatives and the release of a national plan, law enforcement has not yet created a central intelligence framework.

"The ideal is a network of databases," said Lynch of the Regional Information Sharing Systems network.

But the increased focus on information-sharing is a signal that different levels of law enforcement are working together better than in the past, officials said.

Then, federal agencies such as the FBI were reluctant to share information with state and local law enforcement, said Thomas R. Rekus, a former FBI special agent who is now a liaison to local law enforcement for the federal Intelink Management Office.

"There are absolutely cultural differences," he said. "Those are not necessarily a bad thing, unless they get in the way of working together."

"I'm seeing a willingness by most groups to share their toys and play nicely in the sand box," Rekus said, echoing remarks by former FBI Director Louis Freeh.

Treschuk also said that attitudes had improved.

"There's always been a little bit of a schism because of the different focus," Treschuk said. "But there's been a vast improvement."

A municipal court judge accused of giving excessively harsh penalties and displaying abusive behavior on the bench has been fired.

The Dawson City Council voted Thursday to remove Judge Henry E. Williams after hearing complaints by the Terrell County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Americus-based Prison and Jail Project.

Both groups claimed Williams unfairly cited some defendants for contempt and fined them more than the $200 maximum the city ordinance allows. They have protested outside his courtroom and collected 300 signatures from Dawson residents who wanted the judge gone.

John Cole Vodicka, president of the Prison and Jail Project, called Williams' court a "chamber of horrors" and said he was "rude, bullying and mean-spirited."

City Attorney Tommy Coleman also warned the council that the city may lose its liability insurance if it retained the judge.

Williams, who had served in his position since June 2002 and previously from 1992-1996, did not attend Thursday's closed session, but Mayor Robert Albritten defended him, saying Williams was an effective judge but just needed more diplomacy.

"Procedure-wise the court is a lot better," Albritten said. "You can find good doctors with bad people skills."

After the 5-1 vote, councilman J.S. Ward said testimony by Williams' critics left him no choice but to vote in favor of his ouster.

"With the information I heard tonight, it was too much to keep him in," Ward said. "It sounds like he didn't know his job, he didn't know the law."

NEW YORK (AP) - A judge upheld bribery charges Thursday against a fellow judge accused of taking cash and gifts from a divorce lawyer, but threw out several lesser counts of official misconduct.

Most of the dismissed counts alleged that state Supreme Court Justice Gerald Garson broke the law by accepting thousands of dollars to refer case to the lawyer, Paul Siminovsky. Queens Administrative Judge Steven Fisher agreed with the defense that prosecutors had erred in applying rules of judicial conduct to those counts. The rules "were never meant to be used for that purpose," he wrote.

The remaining counts allege that Garson took cash, meals and gifts, including a box of cigars, from Siminovsky in exchange for lucrative legal guardianships and other favors. The Brooklyn judge has pleaded innocent.

Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes said he will appeal the dismissals but was pleased that the major charges were upheld. Defense attorney Ronald Fischetti said he was "thrilled" with Fisher's decision.

Also Thursday, Fisher rejected a defense request to suppress surveillance videotapes shot with a camera planted in Garson's chambers. Some of the tapes allegedly show the judge accepting the cigars and cash from Siminovsky during a sting operation; the lawyer had agreed to cooperate after his own arrest.

Garson, 70, was ordered to return to court for a June 1 hearing. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA9328LNTD.html

December 04, 2003

Is there legalized Slavery in America?

Excerpts:“This is further encouraged by federal laws permitting confiscation of assets such as homes, cars, bank accounts, cash, businesses and personal property that can be used to fund federal, state and local (law) enforcement budgets.”

“We have approximately 250-280 million people in America.

The question from a portfolio strategist standpoint is what productive value will each one be creating in companies and communities and how does that translate into flow of funds that then translate into equity values and bond risk.

The prison companies are marketing one vision of America with their prison and prisoner growth rates, while the consumer companies are marketing another.”

“It is bad enough that my life savings are being invested in companies that make money from promoting that my family and I should be arrested and incarcerated.

It would be worse if my family and I were broke because companies that make money from loss of productivity turned out to also be a bad investment.”

Click link below for story.

…

How the Money Works in Prisons by CATHERINE AUSTIN FITTS(Editor's note: the following was adapted from a letter to the New York Times regarding the growth in the US prison population over the last two decades.)

The federal government has promoted mandatory sentences and taken other steps that will increase the overall prison population to approximately three million Americans as recently legislated policies finish working their way through the sentencing system.

This means that approximately 10-15 million Americans will be under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system from arrest, to indictment, to trial, to prison, to probation and parole.

The enactment of legislation ensuring the growth of prisons and prison populations has been a bipartisan effort.

Republicans and Democrats alike appear to have found one area where we can build consensus for substantial growth in government budgets, staffing levels and media attention. Indeed, during this period, the number of federal agencies with police powers has grown to over 50, approximately 10% of the American enforcement bureaucracy.

This is further encouraged by federal laws permitting confiscation of assets such as homes, cars, bank accounts, cash, businesses and personal property that can be used to fund federal, state and local enforcement budgets.

One way to look at the financial issues involved is to view them from the vantage point of the portfolio strategists of the large mutual funds.

We have approximately 250-280 million people in America.

The question from a portfolio strategist standpoint is what productive value will each one be creating in companies and communities and how does that translate into flow of funds that then translate into equity values and bond risk.

The prison companies are marketing one vision of America with their prison and prisoner growth rates, while the consumer companies are marketing another.

The two are not compatible. CCA’s assumptions regarding the growth in arrests and incarceration can not be true if Fannie Mae’s, Freddie Mac’s and Sallie Mae’s assumptions about homeownership and college education rates are.

We, the people, cannot refinance our mortgages or buy homes or raise our children and send them to college if we are in jail.

Meantime, the municipal debt market is also facing conflicting positions. If prison bonds are a good investment, then some general obligation bonds may in trouble.

We, the taxpayers, can not support the debt: we are no longer taxpayers.

We have become prisoners. Whatever we are generating in prison labor, it is certainly not enough to pay for the $154,000 per prisoner per year costs indicated for the full system by the General Accounting Office.

It would be very illuminating to get the rating agencies and the ten largest mutual funds together in one room for an investor roundtable to discuss pricing levels on the investment of our savings that is internal to their portfolios and ratings.

We would compare equity valuations and growth rates of:

*companies who make money from the American people losing productivity

*companies who make money from helping the American people grow more knowledgeable and productive. We are investing in two different visions that can not both come true.

We could then calculate which was going to succeed, and what the integrated pricing level would be.

Better yet, what could happen that would make the most money for the investment community. The question is which vision is best for us -- the equity investors of America?

And why are investors assuming both win as they price their stocks and bonds?

It is critical to look at prison policy from the standpoint of maximizing return on equity investment. It would be a terrible thing, while I can no longer pay taxes or buy a house or send my son to college because I am in prison, if my vested pension benefits were wiped out by the time I re-entered society.

It is bad enough that my life savings are being invested in companies that make money from promoting that my family and I should be arrested and incarcerated.

It would be worse if my family and I were broke because companies that make money from loss of productivity turned out to also be a bad investment.

Such a roundtable might make for a great New York Times article.

If you are willing to take it on, Solari would be happy to assist your staff by contributing background analytics on how the money works in prisons.

Catherine Austin Fitts is President of Solari, Inc, a former partner of investment banking firm Dillon and Read and a former FHA commissioner. She can be reached at Caf@solarivillage.com

Maybe Governor Rowland should end up in a Connecticut prison. Look at what you can get away with if you are rich and powerful:

Helen Ubi�� Hartford Courant (ctnow.com)

Rowland Needs Some Help With His MemoryDecember 4, 2003

Poor John Rowland, can't understand why reporters are sniffing around his summer cottage; gets all defensive when they ask if he would kindly provide details of the renovations at his family's lakeside retreat.

"I'm not going to provide anything to you," the governor spat at reporters at a press conference Tuesday, because the renovations "are really none of your business."

And along with the hissy fit, self-righteous indignation:

"I think it's important to note that over the past seven years no one has accused me or my wife, Patty, or my family of doing anything wrong."

Aw, Governor, when did you become afflicted with political amnesia? If you honestly can't understand why we're all so curious about your little cottage, here's a recap:

Remember 1996, when your driver loaded the trunk of your car with surplus army gear intended for law enforcement use? You were there - you didn't see the boodle being stashed away? You admitted that your kids played with the gear after the unorthodox shopping trip. But what about the stuff your driver said he got for you, for an upcoming "marijuana eradication operation?" How did the operation go, anyway?

There were also the free or cut-rate vacations - you have to recall those. You never wondered why three separate vacations cost just a little over a grand? Did it honestly take those know-it-alls at the Ethics Commission to tell you they were worth six times that? And then there was the fourth vacation absolutely free. We understand you've always depended on the kindness of others - how else do you explain the last three elections? - but you had to have your suspicions on that one, no?

And of course there was the whole Mustang misunderstanding. We don't blame your First Lady for wanting to give you a mid-life crisis-mobile before you went out and got it yourself. But wasn't the financing a bit ... complicated? First there was the plan to raise money from your friends; you say you scuttled that (good idea). But where did the check noted "Mustang fund" come from? And how come the bill of sale was dated in June when your checks weren't written until October?

Things clearing up for you? Or are you still wondering why we might be a wee bit skeptical when you insist you paid more than $30,000 for renovations while town permits add up to just over $13,000?

How about this: Remember the $6,000 you charged on a Republican Party credit card for personal expenses that included kayaking in Idaho, golf in a swanky San Diego suburb and restaurant meals in Fort Lauderdale? Well, it was a Republican Party card, after all - who among us wouldn't get a little confused?

Then there was the flap over all the tickets to the Meadows Music Centre paid for by other people - family and friends, you say; lobbyists, the head of the Ethics Commission suspected.

And speaking of the Ethics Commission, how about all those fines and reimbursements you've paid? Almost $9,000 for the discount vacations; $6,000 for misuse of the credit card; $2,000 plus a $1,919 donation to charity over the Meadows tickets. All that must have slipped your mind when you insisted, "no one has alleged I've done anything wrong."

Is it any wonder then that we have questions about the cottage? About the new cathedral ceiling; the new kitchen cabinets, countertops and floors; the new stone patio; the lakeside deck with hot tub? About the contractors who claim they were told they could get state work if they discounted their work on your cottage? About the lowball building permits?

Maybe you're right: we should stop asking questions. We should just assume it's the same old song: That's our governor, Johnny Handout, livin' la dolce vita on somebody else's dime.

Helen Ubi�� column runs Thursdays and Sundays. She can be reached at Ubinas@courant.com.

I mean, I have no idea what the argument is. We shouldn't have prisons? We shouldn't legislate to keep prisons funded? Or the idea that prison populations growing is bad in general and so it must be that the view of the world is horribly skewed?

What "prison companies" is this lady talking about? The people who contract to build prisons? The whole thing seems, if I can even pretend to say I read it right, is stupid.

Prisons are built at the mandate of local and federal governments. Jails go up because of crime, prisons because of felony. etc. If someone wants fewer prisons, you gotta tell me that there are fewer people that should be imprisoned. Crimes go up as the population increases. If the rate of people becoming incarcerated increases faster than the population, you also have to to show that this is commensurate with the underlying CRIME rate, and not just a function of say, better law enforcement.

The above stuff just looks like the weird ramblings of someone mistakenly believing that their own expertise has something to say about an entirely unrelated subject.

But then, I can barely read the damn thing: "It is bad enough that my life savings are being invested in companies that make money from promoting that my family and I should be arrested and incarcerated."

Whaaa!?!?! Someone please show me where any company is saying "Round everyone up, guity and innocent, put em in jail, and watch this country boom!"

"The two are not compatible. CCA?s assumptions regarding the growth in arrests and incarceration can not be true if Fannie Mae?s, Freddie Mac?s and Sallie Mae?s assumptions about homeownership and college education rates are. "

Ok...someone give me some info here. College education and homeownership can't be on the rise if incarceration is on the rise? So, if more people are going to college and buying homes for the first time (One of Fannie's or Freddie's -- don't remember which -- biggest programs), and police are doing a better job or there are just more of them to put more people behind bars...is the world going to explode from matter and anti-matter touching?

And, if you're going to count how much it costs per prisoner...please also count into that the cost of each crime they might commit on the outside. How much is a rape worth? How much would you accept to be beaten into a coma to save the per year cost of a prisoner? And then take a look at the FBI crime counters and add that up per person. I don't know, maybe it's cost effective to have some of these people running through the streets. But then you have to count the cost of economic depression in neighborhoods with high crime rates. How much is urban flight worth to a city? What loss would it be to have public transportation continually lose ridership as areas become more crime-ridden?

What price do you put on feeling ok going to a movie at 11:25 pm, or letting your kids start to roam around on their own for a while?

Personally, I say we defray prison costs by making them power self-sufficient. They all work out so damn much, put them on spinning bikes hooked up to power generators. You want cable TV? Pedal faster, buddy.

Posted by: Savage Henry at December 5, 2003 02:30 PM

As crazy as it sounds, it is happening. Prison populations have increased ten fold from 1980 to 1999.

Inmate collect phone calls alone are a billion dollar national annual business where states and phone companies split the booty of fleecing inmate families, often cash strapped, for outrageous fees to keep in touch with their loved ones.

Drunk driving laws are stricter and there are many taking up prison space. I don't think taxpayers should have to pay $73/day per inmate for some offenses. Maybe for some crimes at home arrest where the offender can continue to work, support his/her family at THEIR expense, not ours.

Often downtown youth are ignored when they get caught vandalizing, stealing, drunk, and with small amounts of drugs.

Fast forward with that same youth. An adult that has a drug and alcohol problem, no work ethic, and had committed crimes for years.

Then to get arrested and convicted on a felony, this person who could have been a productive taxpayer if caught and corrected early is permanently barred from voting, owning a home, having credit, a good job, and is separated from his or her offspring. This is in most cases.

Minorities, riffraff, and 'white trash' as perceived by the elitists do not deserve a quality of life and piece of the pie. In some cases prisons are being used as birth control and warehouse for 'unwanted' citizens.

I proposed prevention programs, police able to write children and teens detentions for various offenses working like an insurance point system where too many points ends up in the youth going to reform school on a 24 hour basis for a period of time.

I tried to get the police to do something about the property damage, break-ins, the assaults and threats I suffered when drug dealers thought they were more entitled to my front yard than I was.

I called to police 'Armed Revenue Collectors' in the newspaper because I was subject to fines and fees after vandalism, not the vandals even when they were caught! I could lose my property under the nuisance statute if there were 3 arrests on my property.

Police officers refused to do anything when teens drank, fought, wrecked my property, and sold drugs off my front yard all hours.

I complained and was told to leave Connecticut 'or else' by police officers. I didn't leave and ended up in prison for resisting a police informant that jumped out of my bushes and beat me, as I fought back.

So criminals are not the ones always ending up getting put away, ruining their lives. I went to prison, lost everything, and was made to leave Connecticut or go back to prison because I was guilty of having a 'Big Mouth'

So more prison cells and bigger budgets does mean more average citizens in jail for longer and longer periods.

This article is an important step towards understanding how our governments increasingly enslave us. Consider this basic question - how many "new" laws and regulations, punishable ultimately by imprisonment, have been introduced in the past 20 years? And consider this basic value: incarceration rarely rehabilitates the "offender", but the process of incarceration makes a tidy profit for the public corporations who not only run the prisons, but sell the related products to keep the prisons running. Are Americans aware that statistically one in ten Americans will serve some prison time in their lives? Are there really 30 million American criminals whose intent is so evil that they must be locked up? The process of imprisonment and the horrible process of murdering citizens in a legalised ritual called an "execution" is a reflection of the evil we allow to govern us: they (our controllers) make laws that will imprison us, and they will ultimately murder us if we object to that slavery. Wake up Americans to what our Government is really doing. Isn't it time we evolved to a free nation again?